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Sunday, August 15, 2010

Broken, banged up, miles high, smelly old mini van. Have you seen that video “mom my ride?” My car has been Mommed. In some ways it is liberating. I don’t have to worry about a car wash. My carpet is so dirty that I can go months without a vacuum and no one would know the difference. But then other times it’s just gross, like this week when a lot of water leaked and the whole car reeked like something rotten.

When I was just about to get my license, my dad came home with a brand new black rag top Jeep Wrangler. I couldn’t believe my good fortune. (Meaning, my good father—how could he know my exact wishes?) (I don’t remember, dad, did we beg or what?) When we stopped in our neighbor’s driveway, he came out for his ride to school and he promptly dropped his backpack and stopped in his tracks, mouth open and gaping. Right there it solidified in my teenage mind that this car was perfection.

It proved its worth in my mind many times. When I was 17, I realized its worth in the form of how many boys I met through it. I did have a partner in boy catching crime by the name of Wendy. One day we were on the bored side and I mentioned that driving through the streets near my house I had noticed another Jeep, with the license plate that was something like: MUDNSRF and that the driver was a cute boy. (That was our consistent description of attractive males: cute boy.) So we hopped in my Jeep and started driving. We found MUDNSRF outside a house that was on a cul-de-sac and while we tried to decide what we were going to do about our find, I drove around and around and around the cul-de-sac and soon we didn’t have to do much because there were two cute boys staring out the window. With another turn around the circle they were hopping into MUDNSRF without even opening the doors—the passenger was standing on his seat, leaning over the roll bar. I drove right up the driveway to get a better look and our headlights said hello to each other. I backed up out of the driveway and up the street with MUDNSRF following, our headlights just a few feet away from each other. It was like a little car dance. Then we drove around the cul-de-sac chasing each other in circles, up and over the hilly streets and around until we finally stopped and got out and laughed together and started talking like we were old friends.

There was another time that Wendy and I had an errand to run for Prom. We headed up to the mall in my Jeep and while we were on the freeway we noticed that we had some admirers. A little white car loaded with four cute boys and they were staying along-side us as we drove, smiling at us. Suddenly the boy on the passenger side leaned precariously out his window, arms outstretched with a piece of paper in his hand. The speed limit was 65 mph, so I’m sure we were going at least that fast as the cars got close enough that I could reach the paper as I was driving. (Please do not try this at home. It was scary even for me and I have no fear.) It was their names and a phone number to call. (Which we did on a different occasion which is another story all together.)

I loved that Jeep and was sad to leave it behind when I got married and had to fend for myself. (Did that sound spoiled?) I would have no use for such a vehicle now. No, what I need is what I have. A car that shouts: I’m not available, man. I’m a mom, and I’m not just whistling Dixie—this mini van is packed FULL! That’s right. I’m a happily married family woman with smelly carpet in her vehicle.
No, I don’t need a new fancy car to be happy.

Ohhhh I so loved this. What is it about being a teenager and in a car. Ahhh- the freedom and the fun, and not to mention the cute boys!!! Now I have cereal and fishies on the floor, if a boy happens to notice me, I am embarassed, and I have had to give up my favorite part of all... My music. My boys are picky about music, volume, etc- and it is just not worth he fight anymore. Wah. That Jeep freakin rocked. How did you guys pull that one off? So, NOT a Dad car!

I love you description! And yes, we have learned to "embrace the minivan"...you just have to with that many little people. I love the "mom my ride" video...tell me you have seen the mini van music video by Nissan or someone (someone correct me, because it is hil-arious. In fact, you must google "minivan music video right now.) You are a hot mini van drivin mama.

Oh, so many memories in that Jeep. Luckily you weren't around for early morning seminary rides once Caleb got his license. Every morning was an escape with my life still intact. I loved that car. It was probably the only one I never crashed :) haha Both Chris and I had one when we were growing up, we will have one again someday. I LOVE the wind and the NOISE. and that everyone around you has to listen to the music you're listening to when you stop at a stop light!

This post makes me laugh. Too funny. But I gotta say, I'm a mom and refuse to drive the old mini van - I love my black SUV like a pet and I keep it clean and smelling good. I have a serious aversion to smelly dirty cars. Take that sucker to a really good car wash place and let them clean it out, wash the windows, scrub the seats - you will feel a million times better. I promise.

Oh my goodness, we had such good times in that Jeep. Blake, Pete, those boys on the freeway-so freaking dangerous I'd kill my kid if they did that, the monastery, noisy windows that made your ears ring - such a fun car. We had such great times Brittanica! xoxo

oh that Jeep! How I loved it. How did dad not know that we would use that thing for catching boys?? Maybe he knew and bought it anyway. Only one short year with it before I took the Honda to college, but it seemed like WAY longer than a year.

This post is HILAR!!! So true. I was thinking about getting flames up the hood of my minivan, you know, jazz it up a bit. The carpets are stained with Gatorade. All of the cup holders have unidentified stickiness coating the bottom. A french fry here and there...

On a side note... how many times did you run that thing out of gas? My favorite time was when I brought you the red bucket of gas and you had been driving UP Livorna, which clearly, you were driving AWAY from any gas station. Driving on a wing and a prayer :)

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I took these pictures. I made this stuff with my own two hands. I wrote these words. It's just a bunch of craziness, but it's what in this noggin. If you're going to use any of my stuff for your own stuff, just ask me. (I'm sure I'll say yes. I'm nice like that.) And a little linkie love never hurt anyone if you know what I'm sayin;)